Old HH Pricing question

[trumpstylz]

Can someone tell me why the "old style 90" costs 3$ more than the "old style 100"?

Is it different/the same?

http://www.thepartysource.com/whiskey/whiskey_bourbon.php

Also- TW samuels 100 prf white label- thoughts?

[Parkersback]

The 90 proof is a liter, the 100 proof is a 750.

If they are both 6 years old, which is what the specs say on the site, they are probably the same whiskey at different proofs.

[ethangsmith]

Right above those two on the page is the Old Heaven Hill BIB gold label. At $8.99/750ML, it's so good and so cheap I buy it by the case. I've gotten several people hooked on the stuff. I think it's the ULTIMATE pour for the money.

[Parkersback]

Ethan, I'd love your tasting notes on OHHBIB.

[ethangsmith]

I'll have to sit and sip on a glass and write a review some evening soon. What I can tell you is that it has a lot in common with OGB BIB. It's dry and peppery but younger and maybe a bit more corn. While Evan Williams is subdued and very mellow, this is more in-your-face like Fighting Cock but it's not too harsh either since it is still charcoal filtered. It's probably the same or a similar mashbill to the Heaven Hill Old Style. In PA, we can get the HH Old Style in 80 proof liter bottles for $9 and there is certainly a resemblance between the OHH BIB and HHOS 80pf. I'll revisit them both and take down some notes for you.

[PaulO]

TW Samuels 100 proof is one of several bonded brands HH has. When I tried it, I thought it reminded me a lot of the four year old Heaven Hill brand label bonded. Dant is also similar.

[ethangsmith]

I wish I could get my hands on Dant, Samuels, and the other HH bonded products- I am really anxious to try Mellow Corn too.

[PaulO]

I don't know if it was "glut" whiskey that was older than four years, or had something to do with the infamous fire. The Dant of a few years ago was very tastey. The last few I tried were OK, but not better than the HH four year old.

[tmckenzie]

HH bottles several bib's under different lables as stated above. All are outstanding in my book, and all seem to have their own profile. My favorite is J.W. Dant. It has a certain bready taste that appeals to me.

[PaulO]

HH bottles several bib's under different lables as stated above. All are outstanding in my book, and all seem to have their own profile. My favorite is J.W. Dant. It has a certain bready taste that appeals to me.

That's what I'm talking about. The nice thing about bonds is the DSP # is on the label. Over the years I have seen Dant labels with at least three different numbers (some are Bardstown, others Louisville). I wish I had saved an empty from the HH bottling I really liked. The pre HH Dant is supposed to be REALLY good, but good luck finding any of that.

I don't want people to think that I believe the old "things were allways better in the past" cliche. There are many excellent new releases. It's just that one reason I got interested in bourbon was that early on; I found some real gems in the $10-$15 range (mostly from HH).

[ethangsmith]

Ok, here we go with the tasting. This is "live" as I'll be sipping as I write. I'm not your conventional reviewer either. Here it goes.....

Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon 80 proof white label liter. 36 months old. $9.50 at the PLCB State Stores. Light in color due to the brief aging. Nose has lots of pepper and some light vanilla. Slightly floral smelling. Grainy smelling as well. Corny on the tongue. Very little barrel flavor and quite a bit of pepper and cinnamon. The charcoal mellowing is evident as the harshness of the young bourbon seems to be cut down a little. Very fruity in flavor and very little body. Sweet and easy to sip. Very little finish. Just a slight sweetness probably left from the barrel aging. Overall a great little whiskey for so cheap. Michter's Schaefferstown Master Distiller Dick Stoll loves this bourbon and buys it regularly for mixing and sipping in the evenings.

Old Heaven Hill (Gold Label) Bottled In Bond 100 proof bourbon. 750ML for $9.50 at Winesource in Baltimore, MD. Distilled at DSP-KY-1 and bottled at DSP-KY-31. A little darker than the white label- probably due to additional aging and higher proof. Lots of pepper, cinnamon, and spice on the nose of this. The corny, earthy smell has dissipated and the spicy, peppery tones have taken over. Not much vanilla or cocoa odor indicating this most likely isn't more than 4 years old. On the tongue it's dry and spicy with more wood notes than the white label. It's harsh, but again, it's charcoal mellowed which does take the edge off. Some lingering sweet and corny notes, but much more balanced than the white label. It reminds me very much of Old Grand Dad in its dryness and spice character. A slight woody finish that is mildly sweet as it fades. The spice lingers a bit too. An excellent whiskey for the money. Every time I drink it I have to smile and chuckle about how I only pay $9.50 a bottle for it. While the higher proof and youngness contribute to the strong spicy tones, it's not at all unbalanced or unpleasant. I find the dryness goes well with the spice. An all-around favorite of mine for sure!

[mosugoji64]

Great tasting notes! I recently did a direct comparison of the white label 6yr BIB and gold label BIB. The white label was surprisingly subtle compared to the gold given the white label is (I assume) older. Though the gold label is very bold, it is, as you said, not unbalanced and has become one of my favorite pours. I'll be picking up a couple of bottles the next time I'm in KY.

[PaulO]

All this HH talk got me motivated. I went to a store where I found a decent selection before. I ended up coming home with JTS Brown distilled at DSP 1, bottled at DSP 31. I believe this is more or less the current release (not a dusty). There is an 09 on the bottom of the bottle. You have to be careful with this stuff. It's hard to brlieve it's 100 proof when you're drinking it. If you can imagine WT 101, except more corn oriented; some nice beady bourbon if you know what I mean.

[Parkersback]

Ethan, thanks for the good notes.

[ethangsmith]

Too bad the circulation on these whiskies isn't larger. I have a friend on here sending me some samples. I can't wait!